The Devil Within
by DenLilleViking
Summary: A Datherine story set in London 1888.


_"I will be here_

_When you think you're all alone_

_Seeping through the cracks_

_I'm the poison in your bones_

_My love is your disease_

_I won't let it set you free_

_Til I break you"_

**July 1888 - London**

**The** sun finally set over London town, and mere minutes later the moon took its place on the night sky. Cloaked by darkness, The Witch navigated her way through narrow alleys and abandoned streets that smelled strongly of urin and vomit. It was too early for the harlots and their customers to come out, but traces of last night's festivities still lingered. Though the sun was long gone, its heat had not yet vanished, and along with the unbearable humidity that had poisoned the London air the past few weeks, The Witch soon found herself drenched in sweat. It was bad enough that the hem of her long dress and tips of her boots were coated in mud from moving through the slums. Now she had to worry about the shine on her forehead as well. The doorman at The Ritz would never let her in looking like that.

She slowed to a brisk walk once the grand hotel came into view, and as confidentially as she could, she walked up to the entrance. As she had expected, the doorman looked at her from top to bottom, a look of pure disgust creasing his clean shaven face. He was watching The Witch as though she was unworthy of being in his line of sight. As though she was a pile of horse droppings. He didn't open the door for her.

"Please, sir..." The Witch pleaded. "I 'ave to get inside. I need to see 'er. Miss Katherine Pierce."

The doorman's nostrils flared as The Witch drew close. She smelled like the sewers. "I am certain you do, Miss. I will let her know you came looking for her," he said condescendingly, as one would to someone who was slow in the head. Of course he had no intention of informing a guest of the Ritz Hotel that someone who most likely had escaped from the workhouse was looking for her.

"My name's Jane Sutton," The Witch breathed, feeling defeated. To her surprise, as soon as she had uttered her name, the doorman stepped aside and offered her safe passage inside. His eyes had taken to stare over her head, and though they had been full of ire moments earlier, all emotion seemed to have been drained from them now. They were like glass marbles. The Witch hesitated. Then she made her move and hurried inside.

* * *

** [-]**

**I** had just woken up, and was indulging in a pot of tea and pretty, little cakes in on my settee when there was a knock on my door. With my bare feet propped up on the table, I cast a glance towards the doorway where I was more than certain that Jane would emerge any second now. I could hear her heartbeat, her laboured breathing and her trembling legs. As the door opened, I brought my fingers to my lips and carefully sucked them clean of vanilla cream, putting the uneaten cake back on its tray. As I had expected, Jane came inside with a wild and suspicious look in her eyes. She quickly shut the door behind her and leaned back against it, her cheeks flushed with colour and her chest heaving. As the only illumination came from a fire beneath a beautiful mantelpiece, it was clear that Jane struggled to catch sight of me. She squinted through the dimly lit room until her gaze landed on my form.

"I thought–," Jane panted, smoothing her frazzled hair away from her face. "I thought they wasn't gonna let me in this time, Miss Pierce. I thought I wouldn't get to tell yeh." She doubled over all of a sudden, steadying herself on the door with one hand whilst the other clutched a stitch in her side. Had she taken the stairs rather than the lift? I rose gracefully to my feet, and lazily sauntered closer to her. I tied my robe shut as I walked, but knew I had been a few seconds too late. Jane blushed and averted her eyes as I brushed past her on my way to the table of alcohol, and though I did not require an apology, she offered one anyway. "I'm so sorry, Miss. I didn't know yeh wasn't dressed," Jane murmured feebly. I ignored her and poured a splash of gin in two glasses, offering one to my guest as I finally turned to face her.

"The doormen have all been compelled," I confessed to the nervous witch and gestured for her to follow me back to the settee. She did, and together we sat down on opposite ends. The heat of the roaring fire seemed to increase her discomfort, but she did not comment on it. Nor did I. I liked the warmth it provided.

"Compelled, Miss?" Jane asked, pushing the glass to her mouth to take a sip. I could tell she was tempted to drain it all at once. She, like most of England's lower class, always turned to gin in times of trouble. It warmed their blood on those cold winter nights, put crying infants to sleep, and made the memories of their dreadful lives fade just for a few hours.

I nodded and leaned back in my seat, twirling a ringlet of my flawless hair about a finger. "Yes. As long as you state your name, they will allow you to enter." I paused, and after a short while added as an afterthought whilst my eyes darted to her dishevelled appearance: "No matter what state you may be in." Bringing my legs up on the sofa, I curled them beneath me as I continued to observe Jane, waiting for the explanation for her visit. It never came. The gin seemed to have knocked the thought from Jane's mind. "Well?" I pushed coldly, one eyebrow arching in question. "Why are you here, Jane?"

My voice seemed to have pulled Jane from a state of happiness, and she jumped slightly, nearly spilling what remained of her drink onto the carpet. "Oh!" she cried, the blush returning to the apples of her cheeks. Her hands shook slightly as she reached out to place her glass on the table, her eyes never leaving my face as though she was uncertain I would allow her to deposit of her drink there. I said nothing, so she proceeded, and eventually leaned back with her hands folded in her lap. "I've been scryin' fer the whereabouts of yeh enemies as yeh asked, Miss," Jane started, her pale blue eyes fixed on my chin. Instantly, I felt fear lap at me like flames. Jane must have noticed, because she quickly shook her head so violently I expected her to contract a headache. "No, it ain't Him, Miss. Not Klaus," she said hastily, and I felt my shoulders lower as the tension left me. "He's nowhere near England. He's all the way over–"

"Jane!" I interjected sharply, impatient to know what The Witch had come to tell me. As long as he wasn't close by, I didn't worry about The Original Vampire. After faking my own death twenty years prior, it seemed most of the people with grudges against me had given up on revenge. As far as they knew, I was dead to the world. "Get to the point," I commanded.

Jane's eyes had gone wide, and she looked even more frightened and stressed than she had upon her arrival. "Right. Sorry, Miss. When I was scryin' in the water barrel outside me 'ouse, I saw someone that could get yeh inta trouble. It was that blue-eyed one, Miss. The one that yeh turned back in America. Damon."

I stared at Jane in surprise. This was certainly not something I had expected. "Damon Salvatore?" I asked, to which Jane nodded eagerly. I sat up a little straighter in my seat, a strange fluttering sensation within making me shift uncomfortably. I must have eaten too many cakes. "Well," I said calmly, my face carefully composed. "What is it about Damon that will bring me trouble?" Along with most of my acquaintances, Damon and his younger brother, Stefan, also believed I had died. Unless they had been able to open the tomb I was supposed to be buried in, nothing could have made them think otherwise.

Jane was twiddling her thumbs nervously, fidgeting with her fingers so hard they had all gone white. "He's here, Miss."

"Here? In London?" I gasped subtly as Jane's revelation had managed to surprise me for the second time this evening.

The Witch averted her gaze, her voice meek and barely audible, clearly wary of my reaction. "In this hotel, Miss."

* * *

**[-]**

**"Such** a pretty little thing. I can see why he likes you," I purred in a sleeping Charlotte Dumont's ear, and gently pushed a ringlet of golden curls from her face so I could see her better. She was beautiful, and though I assumed she was anything but, she looked so innocent in her sleep. My touch soon roused her awake, and she turned from her previous position up against Damon, to look back at me. Her eyes widened in surprise and fear, but before she could utter a single noise of distress, my compelling gaze had ensured complete control and co-operation from the young actress. I stroked her rosy cheek and smiled down on her. She stared back up at me, mesmerized. For a short moment, the only sound heard was Damon's breathing. He was still fast asleep.

I took Charlotte by the hand and helped her out of bed, the two of us padding softly across the carpeted floor and into the bathroom where I made her take a seat on the edge of the bathtub. She watched my every move with fascination as I filled the tub with warm water and a generous amount of bubbles, but she didn't speak a word. The fear she had felt earlier seemed a distant memory, and in the pleasant haze of compulsion she was relaxed and happy. She knew she was safe, for I had told her that she was. I didn't have to undress her once the tub was brimming with water. Damon had already taken care of that. On the side of her neck, and along her breasts and inner thighs I noticed his teeth marks - red and sore and a beautiful contrast to Charlotte's otherwise blemish-free white skin.

She climbed into the bathtub and took a seat, her beautiful face cracking in a child-like grin as the bubbles that lay on the surface tickled her nose. I smiled, and leaned down to capture a kiss from her perfect little pout, and felt her heart race with excitement. "Stay here," I commanded softly. "Relax. But do not fall asleep." Charlotte instantly obeyed and leaned back in the tub, hugging her knees to her chest happily and closed her eyes to allow the warm water to do its job.

I left the bathroom and closed the door behind me in the knowledge there would be no more distractions. Slowly, I moved back into the bedroom again where Damon still lay sleeping. He was on his front, the right side of his face pressed down into the pillows, the white sheets draped over his lower body to hide his backside and legs from view. I slipped into the unoccupied side of the bed and lay down to rest on my elbow. For a moment I simply watched him sleep – my darling boy, and fond memories of our past played before my mind's inner eye. More than twenty years had passed since we parted, and despite my burning love for him and his brother, I had stayed away from them both. Kept an eye on them, yes. But never revealed myself. They, like everyone else, needed to believe I was gone. For my safety. And their own.

I reached out to draw lazy circles on Damon's bare back with the tip of my finger, tickling his skin so softly it could just as well have been a gust of wind. His eyelids fluttered open eventually, to reveal those stunningly blue eyes that had always made me feel like I was drowning, just by looking at him. He seemed dazed, at first, unaware of his surroundings, and when he noticed there was someone at his side who was not Charlotte, he attacked. His large hand shot out and closed about my delicate throat, forcing me back in to the mattress as he rolled atop of me. Black veins knitted together in an intricate pattern rose beneath his eyes, which were no longer their usual shade of blue, but bloodied crimson. His lip curled back to reveal two rows of white teeth, sharp fangs protruding amongst them as he snarled viciously. I did not move, despite the slight discomfort his choking hand was causing me. I simply lay back, looking up at him with a teasing little smile on the corner of my lips.

Damon froze. He did not release me, but used his free hand to draw back a little. He gaped at me, his fangs slowly retracting along with the rest of his monstrous visage. In the end, all that was left was a handsome, boyish face contorted in disbelief and shock. "K–Katherine...?" He managed to croak eventually, his eyes as wide as saucers. I would have laughed at his dumbfounded expression had it not been extremely inappropriate timing.

"Hello, Damon," I whispered softly, placing the palm of my small hand to his cheek, my thumb caressing his skin. Damon still looked as though he had seen a ghost.

"How...How is this possible?" He asked, his fingers loosening around my throat to stroke across my lips, checking if the creature beneath him was real. "You died. I lost you...I thought..." he spluttered, conflicting emotions racing across his face. Astonishment, suspicion, ecstasy, anger...They all played their part. His eyes never left mine, and he didn't have to speak for me to understand his thoughts – jumbled as they might be. He wanted an explanation. I had no intentions of giving him any. My hand slid from the curve of his cheek and up into his jet black hair, affectionately tugging on his tresses whilst I admired the face I had missed for so long.

"We don't have long," I said sadly. Damon frowned and looked on the verge of asking why, but I cut him off. "Kiss me, Damon." It wasn't a command or a question, but a desire Damon seemed more than happy to fulfil. His gaze lingered on me for a few more seconds before he lowered himself over me again, his lips crashing against mine in a fervent, desperate kiss. He tasted as sweet as I remembered. Like ripe fruit. I moaned my pleasure into his mouth, which he devoured greedily with his own. Our lips and tongues worked together, almost frantically, until Damon pulled away abruptly. He looked down on me whilst fighting for breath, as though he needed to reassure himself this was really happening. For a brief moment he looked so vulnerable. Then his eyes travelled down my body, and a predatory sneer replaced all traces of weakness vanished from his face.

Pushing himself up to sit, his strong fingers quickly worked the knot on my dressing gown, removing the flimsy material impatiently until he could part it. Silk was pulled aside to reveal a nightgown made purely of sheer fabric, held tight to my body by a tightly laced corset. My exposed breasts heaved in tune with my breathing, the hungered look that gleamed in Damon's eyes making my heart trash wildly. I had never experienced him like this before. His touch was not as gentle and tentative as I remembered, but eager and demanding, as though he wished to possess all of me. He watched me with appreciation, lowering his head down over me to capture a pert nipple with his teeth above my nightgown. I hissed in delight and arched up against him. His hand trailed down between my thighs to cup my sex, pushing me back down into the mattress as he continued to tease me with his teeth. Liquid heat soon pooled against his calloused palm, and I couldn't help but squirm beneath him, aching for him with all that I was.

Damon didn't cease his teasing. He seemed intent on tasting every inch of my flesh through the material of my nightgown – from breasts to toes, and by the end he left me panting and whining with frustration. He seemed so sure of himself. In control, with the confidence he knew exactly what I wanted, and though I had not thought it possible, made me yearn for him in a way I never had before.

Finally, he took hold of the front of my corset and undid the hooks, allowing me to breathe more easily whilst simultaneously revealing my taut stomach. Damon growled his approval at the sight and threw the corset aside, his hands roaming my lithe form roughly before tearing my nightgown to pieces. Naked before him, I looked up at him with a wicked gleam in my dark eyes. I felt him hard against my thigh and craved to have him inside me. It had been too long. I pushed myself up with the intention of trading our positions, but he would have none of it, and took firm hold of my throat once more, pinning me back into the pillows whilst granting me a warning-glare. Perhaps his vampire nature encouraged him to be dominant, or perhaps it was that he finally had a chance to pay me back for all those times I had taken control during our previous sessions, but whatever the reason...I didn't care. His desire to take me as he pleased only heightened my excitement.

Reassured that I would remain as I was, Damon made his way down my naked body, licking and biting and kissing every inch of my skin as he had done before. This time however, he paused once he positioned himself between my thighs and shot me a wily glare before he plunged his tongue inside me. His nose pressed to my mound of fine dark hairs and he inhaled my scent as his tongue worked, a growl rippling through his muscular frame and making me quiver. His skilled fingers soon took over, and his slick tongue moved to toy with my sensitive bundle of nerves. Again and again he worked me to the edge of bliss, but never allowed me to fall over, increasing my frustration to new levels.

Once my wet folds ached with arousal, and droplets of sweat had settled upon my forehead and chest, I could not take it any longer. I needed him and I needed him now. In a blur of movement I pounced on him, pushing him back against the foot of the bed until I could claim my rightful place upon his hips. Mingled surprise and amusement settled upon Damon's face, but he did not fight me this time. On the contrary, he lay back and watched me intently whilst smirking lazily as his hands came to rest on my hips. Dripping with arousal, I wasted no more time and quickly guided his stiff member to my entrance, deliberately impaling myself upon him and causing us both to spasm with pleasure.

Our eyes met and locked on each other once more, the flames of lust dancing in our joined gazes as I began to ride him. Tight muscles grasped him inside me as I moved, and I knew I was driving us both closer to ecstasy every times our hips met. Our blissful moans filled the room like music, slipping from our mouths without permission or intention, until I drew Damon up to sit. Our lips crashed together in yet another fiery kiss that urged us to move faster. Harder. The world around us fell away, and at that moment we were the only two people in existence. The kiss broke as our thrusts and grinds pushed us to the peak of bliss, and as his fangs found the delicate patch of skin on my throat, mine buried themselves within Damon's broad shoulder.

Warm blood gushed into my mouth, and I clung to him for dear life, intent on finally getting the release I craved. Ecstasy hit us both like a meteor, flinging us out of this world and into a sphere where everything was pure euphoria. I screamed my pleasure against Damon's flesh, and he against the nape of my neck, our bodies tensing and trembling in each other's embrace, my blood infecting his system just as his was intoxicating mine. We rode out the rapture together, and fell breathlessly back onto the bed once the peak subsided. Damon wrapped me in his arms and pressed his lips to the top of my head, murmuring unintelligibly until he allowed himself to be pulled under by the wonderful sense of calm his release had offered. Everything was right in the world again. Twenty years of pain and heartache seemed to fade. For the first time in a long time, he was happy.

I waited until Damon was sound asleep before I reluctantly removed myself from his possessive embrace. My entire body was still shaking. I snatched my dressing gown off the floor and wrapped myself in the silky material before leaning down over Damon again, pressing a gentle and uncharacteristically tender kiss to his lips. "I love you," I whispered in a moment of weakness I felt I had earned, and cast one last look at him before moving to the front door. Jane was waiting in the hallway, like I had told her to, and as I opened the door she stepped inside. She peered around the corner and into the bedroom, warily eyeing Damon, clearly afraid he would wake up. Then she looked back at me, for further instructions.

"Make him believe it was a dream," I whispered in hushed tones. "Remove all traces of me from this room."

Jane blinked up at me, confused. "Why did yeh do it, Miss?" she asked tentatively.

I smiled at her, knowing she would never truly understand. "He seemed almost happy. I wanted to remind him he will never be happier than with me. That he is mine. And always will be."


End file.
